Catcher Without A Cause
by CalvinHobbesGatsby
Summary: (Sequel to Panther In The Rye) After beating his alcohol addiction, James Stark is living with Rick & is returning to Degrassi. He has a whole new set of challenges, though. He must deal with the popularity of Panther in the Rye, balance his friendship with Terri Mcgregor & Rick Murray, & confront his feelings for Emma Nelson before he loses her for good. I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI.
1. Chapter 1

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

To tell you the truth, I didn't think i'd be writing again. I never expected _Panther in the Rye_ to become as big as it has. Like I told Dr. Greg, I ain't no Edgar Allan Poe.

However, so many things happened when I went back to Degrassi. With the book, & trying to balance my friendship with Terri & Rick, not to mention how I almost lost

Emma: The 1 girl that I care about more than anything in the world. I was inspired to pick up the pen & write.

It all started when I set up a meeting with Ms. Hatzilakos. 2 days before school started, I went back to the place that had given me nothing but shit. I walked in & I was ushered into Hatzilakos's office.

"James." she said, looking up as I walked in. "I honestly didn't think that i'd be seeing you again."

"Neither did I," I replied as I sat down. "but I've been thinking & if the offer hasn't expired, I'd like to come back to Degrassi." I'd thought long & hard about it & I decided that I might as well finish Degrassi, & also Mrs. Murray told me that if I was going to stay at her house, I needed to be in school.

"The offer hasn't expired James. If you want to come back, that's fine." Ms. Hatzilakos said. She went over paperwork that Mrs. Murray would have to sign, since she was my temporary guardian. "That about settles things. Welcome back to Degrassi, James. I hope you enjoy being back." She said. I winced a little, she said it like a phony, I swear to God, she did.

 **JAMES IS BACK AT DEGRASSI, BUT A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE HE'S BEEN GONE, HE LEFT HALFWAY THROUGH SEASON 4 & NOW IT'S SEASON 5. REVIEWS APPRECIATED**


	2. Chapter 2

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

On the 1st day of school, I woke up early. I wore my usual purple leather jacket, yellow t shirt, blue jeans, & blue suede shoes. As I went downstairs, I saw Rick getting ready as well. He'd gotten back from therapy a couple days before I had. Mrs. Murray was dead set against sending him back to Degrassi, but Ms. Hatzilakos assured her that any hint of bullying would be dealt with severely. She told Mrs. Murray that Spinner had confessed that he & Jay were behind the Whack-Your-Brain incident & that they had both been expelled & would not cause anymore trouble this year. Mrs. Murray agreed on the condition that he see Ms. Suave before & after school every day. Rick & I had some fruit for breakfast & then got ready to go.

"Please be careful today, OK Ricky." She said as she kissed him.

"I will mother." Rick replied as we headed out the door. By the time we got to Degrassi, there were lots of new kids there. As we walked in, we saw Jimmy Brooks & his friends giving Spinner the cold shoulder.

"I thought they all loved that asshole." Rick asked me.

"So did I," I replied, "Whatever he did to piss them off, it must have been worse than usual." Rick & I parted ways as I went to my locker. I was getting my stuff out when I saw Emma walking with Manny Santos, her best friend. She was checking out some blond dude who looked like he could be related to Ms. Hatzilakos. Suddenly, Emma turned around & she saw me.

"James!" She said with joy as she came up & hugged me.

"Hey Emma, it's good to see you." I replied.

"So, how have you been?"

"I've been pretty good, i'll be sober 3 months next week."

"That's wonderful." Emma said as she put her arm around me. "So, do you want to hang out after school?"

"I'm actually going over to a friends house, but you could join me if you want." I was still friends with Terri Mcgregor & she had invited me over, I assumed that it was OK to bring Emma, since they had never met.

"Sure," she told me. I was really excited because all the while i'd been at rehab, i'd only thought of her. She smiled & walked away with Manny, but not before taking 1 last look at the blonde dude. I didn't care for that guy, I swear to God, I didn't.

 **EMMA & TERRI TOGETHER, WILL THIS END IN TROUBLE? DOES JAMES HAVE COMPETITION FOR EMMA'S AFFECTION? WHAT WILL RICK THINK WHEN HE FINDS OUT THAT JAMES IS FRIENDS WITH HIS EX? KEEP READING. REVIEWS APPRECIATED**


	3. Chapter 3

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

After a few boring classes, Rick & I met up for lunch. We found a table by ourselves & sat down.

"So, how is it, being back at Degrassi?" I asked Rick.

"It's not as bad as I thought." Rick replied. "Jimmy came & talked to me, he said we were cool."

"That's good, hey can you tell you're mom that i'll be a litter later than usual, i'm meeting up with a couple of friends."

"Who?" Rick asked.

I paused for a moment, I didn't want to talk details. "Just friends." I hadn't told Rick about Terri yet & I hadn't told Terri about Rick. I mean, the guy put her in a coma, how was I supposed to tell her that I was living with her abusive ex. Rick seemed to accept my answer & nothing more was said about it.

After school, Emma & I went to Terri's place. When we got there, Terri was waiting for us.

"Hey James." she said, greeting me in a hug. Then she looked at Emma. "Who's this?" she asked.

"This is Emma, she's a friend of mine. Emma, this is Terri, Terri, Emma. I hope you don't mind, she asked if she could come." I replied.

"No way, it's been a while since I've had a girlfriend." She said as Emma & I went inside. Terri had a very nice place. As we hung out, Emma & Terri got along real well. They were talking about usual chick stuff.

"So, where do you go to school?" Terri asked Emma.

"Degrassi." Emma replied.

"I used to go there...until the accident." Terri said with melancholy in her voice. Suddenly, Emma realized who she was talking to.

"You're Terri Mcgregor?" She asked in shock.

"Yeah." Terri said, surprised that Emma knew who she was. Suddenly, Terri got up, "I need to use the washroom." Terri said as she left Emma & I alone. Emma turned to me & she was not happy.

"You're friends with Rick & the girl he put into a coma?" Emma said in disbelief.

"Emma, it's complicated..." I tried to explain, but she wouldn't hear it.

"You need to tell her...NOW."

"I can't, I need to wait for the right time." I said as Emma got up & walked out.

"Damn." I said as i kicked myself

 **HAS JAMES RUINED HIS CHANCED WITH EMMA? REVIEWS APPRECIATED**


	4. Chapter 4

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI OR THE DIALOGUE**

After Emma's first meeting with Terri, she didn't speak to me for a solid week. Rick could tell that something was going on between us, but we wouldn't tell him. Meanwhile, Emma kept pining over the blonde dude, who I learned was Peter Stone. I didn't care for the guy, he seemed really stuck up & on top of that, he was taking Emma from me. I just didn't get what she could see in a guy like him.

1 night, as I was chilling in the Murray's guest room, which for now was my room, Rick came in.

"Are you going to the party at Peter's tonight?" he asked.

"Hell no." I replied, "Why would I want to go to Peter Stone's lame ass party." Rick however kept going on about it.

"I would go but 1. I don't care for most of the people there & 2\. I wasn't invited." I nodded. Rick had managed to make his peace with Jimmy, but everyone else kept their distance.

"Have you heard from Paige lately?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, we talked in the hall, she said she was glad that I was doing better." I said, remembering when i'd seen Paige in the halls.

"You think there's something there?"

"Not likely, she's way too materialistic for me, we're better off as acquaintances." I told him. "Besides, I've got my eye on someone else." I was thinking of Emma.

The next day at school, I was in for a surprise, we all were. I was in Media Immersions with Snake when Rick came up to me.

"James, have you checked your e-mail?" he asked.

"No." I replied. I looked at my e-mails & saw 1 from Peter Stone. It was a video of Manny Santos, exposing her boobs on camera.

"I'm going to be, like academy award winning. & you can sell this for a million dollars, cause i'm going to be FAMOUS!" She said as she took her top off. By the way she was talking, she was probably plowed.

"Who knew Manny was such a slut?" Rick asked.

"I didn't." The whole rest of the day continued with people talking about Santos the slut. When school finally got out for the day, I got a call from Emma.

"Hey Emma." I said.

"Can you come over?" she asked.

"Is this about the video?"

"You saw that?"

"I don't know anyone who hasn't." Emma gave me a huge sigh. "I'll be there." I told her.

"Thank you." She said as I hung up.

 **EMMA & MANNY'S FRIENDSHIP IS ON THE ROCKS AS JAMES IS COMPETING WITH PETER FOR EMMA'S AFFECTION & SOON SOMEONE FROM JAMES'S PAST WILL CONVINCE HIM TO REVEAL HIS SECRETS To THE WORLD. REVIEWS APPRECIATED.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

After school, I went straight to Emma's place. Her mom greeted me,

"Hello James." she said as I came in.

"Hey Mrs. Simpson, is Emma here?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's downstairs in her room & Mrs. Simpson is Archie's mother, call me Spike."

"Ok, Spike, I said as I went downstairs. Emma was on her bed staring at the ceiling until she heard me come down.

"James." she said as she got up & hugged me.

"I'm sorry about Manny." I told her. At the mention of Manny's name, Emma turned away from me.

"How could she do that?" Emma asked, clearly frustrated. "She knew that I liked him. I sighed as Emma said that. She obviously had a crush on Peter Stone, but i really liked her. Let me tell you something, there is nothing worse than liking someone who doesn't like you back. I swear to God, there isn't.

"I'm sorry Emma." I told her, I didn't really know what else to say. Emma squeezed my hand.

"So, tell me how you're doing." she said as we sat on the bed together.

"I'm ok." I told her, "I mean, i'm sober, i'm staying with Rick, & i have a good friend in Terri."

"By the way, i'm sorry for getting so upset with you about Terri, i know you'll tell her somehow." Emma said.

"I will... rehab really helped, Dr. Greg helped me through shit but..."

"But what?"

"Well, when I was in rehab, Dr. Greg had me write down my experiences at Degrassi. It was to help me face them. Now, he thinks I should publish it as a book." I told her. Dr. Greg kept telling that it could help other kids like me. Emma looked at me seriously.

"You should do it." she said. I looked back at her.

"You really think so?"

Emma held my hand as she smiled at me, "Sometimes, you have to take a chance...go for it."

 **WILL JAMES PUBLISH HIS JOURNAL? HOW WILL IT AFFECT HIS LIFE? REVIEWS APPRECIATED**


	6. Chapter 6

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI OR THE DIALOGUE**

The next day, I called Dr. Greg & I told him that I wanted to publish my journal.

"That's great James." Dr. Greg said, by the way he was talking, I could tell that he was excited, I swear to God I could. "From the moment I read it, I knew that it had the capability to change lives." I sighed, I was still unsure about the whole thing.

"So, you said you had a friend that's a publisher, how long would it take him to publish it?" I asked.

"Well, depending on when he gets it, I'd say it should hit bookstores in about a month or so." he said.

"That soon?"

"He'd only be putting it in Toronto bookstores for starters, now if he were going to publish it throughout Canada, it would take longer." I hung up & I got the journal. had given it back to me when he'd made the offer after i'd finished rehab. I had decided to call it _Panther In The Rye._ I put it in a envelope & took it to the Murray's mailbox. Mrs. Murray was at work & Rick was hanging out with Toby, so no one saw me. As I walked back in, I was thinking that no one would really give a rat's ass about my book. I was dead wrong.

A few weeks after I sent my book to Dr. Greg's publisher friend, I got an invite from Rick.

"Hey James, you wanna see Hamlet at school tonight?" he asked me. I had nothing better to do that night, Emma was going to another Peter Stone party & Terri was having some Father/Daughter bonding time with her old man.

"Sure, why not?" I said. Rick & I went to school later that night. The play that was being performed was _Hamlet_. Rick  & I went in, got tickets, & sat in our seats. The play was sub-par, as most high school plays tend to be. The play didn't get interesting until half way through. It was when Hamlet, played by Marco Del Rossi,was about to do his famous soliloquy, you know, the to be or not to be crap. Anyway, when Marco came on stage, he looked out into the audience, then he tried to do his soliloquy, but he kept looking at some middle aged dude that I assumed was his old man. Then suddenly, he stopped,

"I...I can't do this." he said as he looked straight at his old man. "Pa...I'm gay." He said. Everyone gasped as Mr. Del Rossi got up out of his seat & walked out.

"Well, that was rather interesting." Rick said, looking at me. "Don't you think, James."

"It's certainly an interesting way to come out." I replied.

 **WILL _PANTHER IN THE RYE_ GAIN ANY ATTENTION? HOW WILL PEOPLE REACT TO JAMES'S TESTIMONY? REVIEWS APPRECIATED**


	7. Chapter 7

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

After the play was done, I went to the bathroom, After I did my business, I saw Marco as he came into the bathroom. He was still wearing his costume.

"Hey Marco." I said as I was washing my hands.

"Oh, hi James." he said as he saw me.

"I gotta say that was quite a performance."

"Yeah." Marco said nervously, "it's just... I was tired of hiding from my dad, I mean, this is who I am." I came over & held his hand,

"I know, & what you did, was pretty cool, I mean, i personally don't swing that way, but i mean,if you like dudes, you like dudes, it's who you are, be proud of it." I told him. Even though I wasn't gay, I didn't see anything wrong with it.

Marco smiled as he pulled me into a hug, "Thanks James." he said as he walked out.

(Timeskip)

A few days after the play, I woke up & realized that it had been 1 year since the attempted school shooting at Degrassi. All the memories came back: The Whack-Your-Brain disaster, Rick pointing his gun at Jimmy Brooks, Me up on the roof contemplating suicide. I could see it all. As I went down to get some breakfast, I saw that Rick was already there & I could see it in his face, he knew what day it was too.

"What're you thinking about?" I asked him, Rick looked at me & sighed.

"It's just...bringing a gun to school...trying to kill Paige & Jimmy... I never thought I'd be capable of that." he said.

"I know what you mean." We managed to eat some breakfast & then we went off to Degrassi. As we walked in, nothing seemed out of the ordinary,, we saw Sean Cameron hanging out with Jay Hogart. We also saw Jimmy & Hazel being all lovey-dovey. It was just another day, I swear to God, it was. Me & Rick parted ways & as I headed for my locker, I looked for Emma. I finally found her talking to Peter Stone. Things between him & Emma were getting serious, however they were trying ti keep their relationship secret because of the fact that he'd ruined her best friend's life. Now, I'll admit, I was pretty jealous. I needed to forget about Emma. That's when I had an idea. I pulled out my phone & texted Terri.

" **Hey Terri, what u up 2"** After a few minutes, she texted back,

 **"Not 2 much:/, how bout u"**

 **"Same, u have plans 2 nite"**

 **"No, u wanna do something"**

 **"yeah, u wanna go 2 The Dot"**

 **"Sure:), does 4 work 4 u"**

 **"Yeah, i'll c u later"** I texted as I went to Media Immersions with Simpson. I was having an internal conflict. I liked Terri a lot, but my feelings were for Emma. I wasn't sure what to do, I swear to God, I wasn't.

 **HOW WILL JAMES & TERRI'S DATE GO, WHO WILL HAVE EMMA'S HEART? BY THE WAY, SINCE THE SHOOTING DIDN'T HAPPEN, SEAN NEVER WENT BACK TO WASAGA BEACH & JIMMY NEVER LEFT HAZEL FOR ELLIE, HOWEVER, HE & SPINNER ARE BARELY SPEAKING. REVIEWS APPRECIATED.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

After school, I went straight to The Dot. I sat down & waited for Terri to arrive. After a few minutes, Terri's old man dropped her off. She walked in & came over to me.

"Hey James." she said as she sat down.

"Hey Terri, you look great." I said, noticing the she was wearing a really pretty skirt.

She bushed at this. "Thanks" We both ordered burgers & fries. As we waited for our food, I remembered that the last time i'd been in The Dot was the day when Jay Hogart attacked Rick. As we ate, Terri told me how private school was going for her. She'd even managed to restart her career as a plus-size model.

"It felt good to get back in front of the camera." she said. "The last time that I had a shoot was a couple weeks before...my accident." I knew that she was referring to the incident with Rick.

"Well, Paige showed me some pics from your shoots. You're a natural." I told her as she laughed. "Have you ever thought of making a living out of it.?" I asked her.

"I've given some thought to it. It's just that my dad's been trying to keep me focused on school since i missed like, half a year when I was in the hospital." She told me. After we finished our food & I paid for the bill. Terri & I took a walk through the alley where Jay & I had our big fight. Terri looked sad when she saw it.

"I haven't been here since...I broke up with Rick." She said quietly.

"What happened?"

"Hazel & I had a fight, so I was walking home, then Rick showed up & we started arguing. He thought that I was leaving him. I didn't want to, not at that point anyway, it's just that he was suffocating me. Then he pushed me up against the wall." That's when Terri started to cry. I held her in my arms as she sobbed.

"I would've left him sooner, but he told me I was perfect & pretty & smart & back then, I needed to hear things like that." she said. I took Terri's face in my hands.

"You are pretty." I told her. She looked up at me & then she kissed me. I was shocked at first, but then I kissed her back. We made out for about 15 minutes. After that, I walked her home.

"Good night James." she said as she kissed me good night. I was conflicted. I had feelings for Emma, but now I had feelings for Terri. I didn't know what to do. I swear to God, I didn't.

 **WHO SHOULD JAMES GO AFTER? EMMA OR TERRI? REVIEWS & INPUT APPRECIATED**


	9. Chapter 9

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

A few days after my date with Terri, my book came hit Toronto bookshelves & I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much of a reaction. However, once the critics started saying how much they loved it, _Panther In The Rye_ flew off the shelves. The week after it was released, Rick brought me a copy of the local newspaper. I was eating lunch when he came up to me.

"James, you didn't tell me that you wrote a book." Rick said excitedly. I looked at the review.

"Apparently, i'm a good one." I said, laughing. Rick read me the review.

" _Panther In The Rye_ is a must read for teens. James Stark's brilliant novel gives teenagers an uncompromising look in the mirror. & hopefully can start a conversation about bullying in high school." Rick & I were discussing the review when someone came into the cafeteria & shouted that Kevin Smith was here.

"Kevin Smith, you mean the guy who writes the Jay & Silent Bob movies?" I asked.

"Yeah, apparently. after we went to rehab, they came & filmed a movie here: _Jay & Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?_" Rick told me.

"No shit." Rick & I walked over to the doorway & there they were: Kevin Smith & Jason Mewes They were talking to Mr. Simpson & Ms. Hatzilakos.

"You know, Paige & Manny actually starred in it." Rick said. A few minutes later, I saw Paige talking to Kevin & she did not look happy. I decided to go up to her.

"Everything ok, Paige?" I asked. Paige frowned at Kevin & Kevin turned to me.

"I was just telling her that I had to cut her out of the movie." he said.

"So no James, everything is not ok." Paige replied. Suddenly, Kevin got a surprised look on his face.

"Whoa, James...James Stark?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah" I said, confused. Why would Kevin Smith know my name?

"Holy shit man, I read your book & it was amazing. It touched me & I don't say that about a lot of things." he said as he called Jason over.

"Jason, this is James Stark."

"No way, you wrote _Panther In The Rye_?"

"Yeah?"

"Awesome!" Jason said as he high fived me. Then Kevin turned back to me.

"Look James, we have to go, but there is a premier & an after party for _Jay & Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh? _& I want to see you there. I'd like to talk to you about the book." Kevin said as he handed me a VIP pass. "You can bring a plus-one, so please show up." He said as he & Jason headed out the door. I looked at Paige.

"Well, that was interesting." I said as she sighed & stormed off. My book was a success & Jay & Silent Bob wanted to meet with me. It was a lot to take in. I swear to God, it was.

 **WHAT WILL THE KIDS OF DEGRASSI THINK WHEN THEY READ JAMES'S JOURNAL? WHAT DOES SILENT BOB HAVE PLANNED FOR** ** _PANTHER IN THE RYE_** **? REVIEWS & INPUT APPRECIATED.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI OR THE DIALOGUE**

I told Rick about my meeting with Silent Bob & he was stoked. I asked him if he wanted to be my plus one, but he was busy. I thought about going with Emma, but she was already going with Peter Stone. So, in the end, I called Terri & invited her to come with me. We went to the premier & it was petty high class, just like you'd expect. A lot of kids from Degrassi were there. Jimmy was with Hazel, Craig was with Manny, Paige was with Alex Nunez, of all people, & Emma was with Peter.

"Oh my God, this is so exciting, i've never been to a movie premier before." Terri said excitedly.

"Me neither." I told her as we went inside the theater. As we started to watch the movie, I had to admit it was pretty funny; but it was sobering to think that while this hilarious movie was being made, Rick was in therapy for almost pulling a Columbine & I was going through alcohol withdrawal. A lot had changed, I swear to God it had. After the movie was over, we went to the after party & honestly, it looked pretty lame.

"This is the after party?" Marco asked, clearly unimpressed.

"The kiddie version." Ellie said, "the real party is over there." she pointed to a couple of security guards, letting a line of people in.I put my arm around Terri & walked over as everyone watched me. I held up my V.I.P. pass,

"James Stark." I said, the security guy looked at his clipboard.

"Go on in." he said as Terri & I walked in. All the other kids watched with their mouths Terri & I went into the after party, we could see that the place was pumping. Eventually, we saw Kevin & Jason at the bar drinking.

"James." Kevin said as he came over to me.

"Hey Kevin." I said as he gave me a pound. "This is my date, Terri Mcgregor." Kevin kissed her hand.

"Say, do you mind if we borrow James for a little bit?" Jason asked.

"No problem." she said as Kevin & Jason took me aside.

"So, I wanted to talk to you because I thought that your book was amazing." Kevin said as Jason nodded.

"Thank you."

"We were wondering if you had a manager?"

"Um...not really, no."

"I was kind of hoping you'd say that James, I'd like you to come work for me at View Askew Productions." I was definitely shocked.

"Really?" I asked.

"Absolutely, We were thinking that after you graduated, you could come out to California & work with us full time." he said.

"Well Kevin, it's a great opportunity & I should jump at the chance... could I have 24 hours to think it over.?" I asked.

"No problem, sleep on it tonight, talk to some people, I'll get a contract ready & we'll meet up tomorrow before we leave." Kevin said as we shook hands. Before I could talk to Terri, however, I saw Alex Nunez coming for me.

 **WHAT DOES ALEX WANT WITH JAMES? WILL JAMES SING ON WITH VIEW ASKEW PRODUCTIONS? REVIEWS & INPUT APPRECIATED.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

"Hey James, do you think we could talk for a minute?" Alex asked me.

"Um...sure." I replied as we went off into a corner by ourselves.

"I read your book." she said. I expected this to happen, I Swear to God, I did. I figured that Jay & Alex & Spinner & all the others would chew me out for making them look like shit, even if they deserved it.

"Are you going to yell at me?" I asked her. Alex took a deep breath.

"At first, I was pissed, but then I realized that everything you said was true, setting up the paint & feathers, getting Raditch to expel you, by the way, how did you know it was me?"

"You're Student Council Vice President, no one else had the clout to get Raditch to expel me except Marco, & we know it wasn't him." I told her.

"Good point...so look, I'm sorry...about everything, are we cool?" Alex asked. I decided that it was time to make peace with the past.

"Sure" I said. Alex smiled at me.

"See you around, James." she said as she walked away.

"Hey Alex." I called out as she turned to me. "Is there something going on between you & Paige?" She just smiled,

"I hope so." she said. I walked back to Terri & I told her what Kevin Smith had told me.

"James, that's amazing." she said as she gave me a huge hug.

"Yeah, I guess." I said as I laughed. I was still thinking about whether I should sign with him or not.

"You wanna go back to your place & hang out?" she asked. Rick was spending the night at Toby's after going out to dinner with his mom, so I thought why not? We left the party & went back to Rick's place. I told Terri to stay outside for a minute, I didn't tell her,but I wanted to make sure that Rick was gone. I went inside & there stood Rick & he was pissed. I swear to God, he was.

 **IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, RICK & TERRI MEET AGAIN & FIND OUT THE TRUTH. I NEED HELP FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER, I WANT TO GET SOME PEOPLES REACTIONS TO JAMES'S BOOK. I WAS THINKING OF JIMMY & PAIGE. WHO DO YOU THINK I SHOULD DO? REVIEWS & INPUT APPRECIATED.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

Rick had a copy of _Panther In The Rye_ in his hand & he threw it at me.

"What the Hell!" I shouted.

"1. that should be my line, & 2\. you wrote about me in your piece of crap book." Rick said to me.

"I only told the truth." I said, defending myself. "I didn't lie about anything."

"Yeah, you told the truth, the truth that could get me arrested!" Rick yelled. "Is it worth it, just for a few bucks?" he asked.

"Screw you Rick, I didn't do t for the money, I could care less about the money, I did it to come to terms with what happened, Dr. Greg wanted me to publish it, he thought it could help other kids like me." Rick stared at me.

"You...it's always been about you. Your old man beating you, your reputation being ruined by associating with me, Emma being in love with YOU!"

"GO TO HELL RICK," I shouted. I was beyond pissed, I swear to God, I was. "I wanted to be with Emma, I loved her, I still love her. but I knew that you loved her too & if i'd gone after her, you would've snapped & I was right. When you tried to kiss her, I admit she was way too harsh,but then you brought a gun to school & you tried to shoot people. So yeah Rick, I let the best thing that ever happened to me get away, so that the worst thing that ever happened to me wouldn't kill somebody!" Rick was about to say something when he looked past me. I looked & there stood Terri with tears in her eyes.

"Terri..." Rick started to say.

"Don't come near me, haven't you done enough." she said,

"Please just let me explain..."

"NO!" she shouted before turning to me. "Emma's the best thing that ever happened to you?"

"Terri I..." I said, trying to explain.

"Stop James, it's obvious that you still love her & you've been using me as a distraction." She said. "Admit it." I looked down. She was right. I did love Emma, I dreamed about her every night.

"It doesn't matter, she's with Peter now." I said as Terri looked at me.

"You need to deal with your feelings...Goodbye James." She said as she walked out. Rick turned to me with pain in his eyes.

"Get out of my house." he said. I was too upset to argue,so I just packed up my shit & walked out into the night, feeling like shit.

 **REVIEWS & INPUT APPRECIATED**


	13. Chapter 13

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

As I walked out, I saw Toby & his mom driving home.

"Hey James." he said as he saw me.

"Hi Toby." I replied as I kept walking.

"You need a ride?" he asked.

"No, I just had a fight with Rick & he kicked me out of his house, so I'm just clearing my head."

"If you need somewhere to stay, you can crash with me."

"Nah, I couldn't impose."

"It's no problem James." Mrs. Isaac's said as they pulled over to me. I wasn't looking forward to sleeping on the streets, so I decided to take Toby up on his offer. On the ride home, Toby kept complaining about how lame the kiddie version of the after party was. When we got to Toby's house. Toby showed me his step sister Ashley's old room. She was in London, so I could use it as long as I needed to.

"Hey Toby."

"Yeah."

"Did you read my book?" I asked. Toby sighed.

"Yeah I did."

"What did you think?"

"At first, I was kind of upset, I mean, I found out that my friend was a psycho & you told the whole world, but after I saw the number you did on Rick & Emma, I got over it real quick." He said laughing, trying to lighten the mood. I just sighed.

"That's what the fight was about, Rick was pissed that I published the book without telling him & in the midst of the fight, Terri walked in & found out that I was staying at Rick's." Toby was surprised at that.

"Terri? Terri Mcgregor?" he asked. "She didn't know that you were friends with Rick?"

"No, & she found out that I still have feelings for Emma."

"Oh man, you're screwed man."

"I know...Toby, can i ask you something?"

"Sure man."

"Who do you think I should go after? I mean Terri's sweet, & she's pretty, but Emma's such a free spirit. She's so independent & I love that about her." I told him. Toby thought about it for a second.

"I think that you & Emma would be a good couple." Toby replied. I nodded.

"There's something else I need to ask you. Kevin Smith approached me about being my manager. After graduation, I'd go work for him at View Askew Productions." I told him.

"Honestly, I think you should do it." Toby said to me. "Your story was inspirational, you were able to put people in the observer's deck of a teenage mind." I was touched. No one had told me anything like that. Maybe my book really did mean something.

"Thanks Toby." I said as he left & went back to his room. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. I swear to God, it was.

 **MATAHARI, I HOPE YOU DIDN'T MIND ME USING YOUR WORDS. BTW, I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP, I CAN'T DECIDE WHETHER JAMES SHOULD BE WITH EMMA OR TERRI. I NEED A 2ND OPINION. REVIEWS & INPUT APPRECIATED.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI OR THE DIALOGUE**

The next morning, I woke up & got ready to face Rick & Emma at school. When I arrived, the place was buzzing with excitement. Kevin Smith was getting an honorary diploma from Ms. Hatzilakos & Paige, along with the spirit squad were giving him a special cheer. I tried to find Rick, but it seemed like he was going out of his way to avoid me. Finally, after lunch, the ceremony got started in the gym. Kevin got up on stage & Ms. Hatzilakos gave a big speech talking about what an honor it was to have a film shot at Degrassi.

"but, before we make it completely official, the spirit squad would like to send you on your way in style. Paige?" Ms. Hatzilakos said as the spirit squad came in. They were supposed to do a special cheer for Kevin, however, Paige hadn't prepared anything, so the girls just went in flying blind.

"Give me a K!" Paige said.

"K" 1 of the cheerleaders shouted.

"Give me an E!"

"E" some dude shouted out.

"Give me a V, I, N, S, M, I, T, H, Yay..." Paige said, before she ran out of the room, clearly embarrassed. Everyone felt bad for her, myself included, but Kevin clapped for her anyway. After the ceremony was over, I saw Kevin playing basketball in the gym. He was also taking to Paige about something. As I walked closer to them, I heard the end of their talk.

"You're just going to stand there after I dropped this wisdom on you? Go get the girl." Kevin said as Paige ran off. Kevin then turned & saw me. "Hey James." he said as he fist bumped me. "So, have you made a decision?"

"Yeah I have...I'm in." I told him.

"Yes! trust me James, you won't regret this. How bout you & I get some lunch & go over your contract. I had my lawyers draw 1 up incase you said yes." Kevin said.

"Sure." I replied as we got in Kevin's taxi & headed over to The Dot. As we ate, Kevin & I went over the contract.

"So basically, what this contract entails is that once you graduate, you'll be working at View Askew Productions, as for the profits from _Panther In The Rye_ & any other books or music or movies that you may do, as your manager, I'll get a cut of it, does 10% sound fair to you?". he asked me.

"Sure, so when do I get the money?" I asked.

"Well, you can't legally get the cash until you reach the legal age of 18. Until then, it'll be in a trust. No one gets their hands on it."

"Ok, what about merchandising & movies? I don't really want to have _Panther In The Rye_ merchandise, it'll cheapen the story."

"What about a movie?" Kevin asked hopefully I thought about it for a few minutes.

"I don't know...maybe someday."

"Ok, well nobody is going to do anything without your consent so it's all good."

"All right then, I'll sign." I said as I signed the contract.

"All right, so you still staying with Rick?" Kevin asked as he put the contract away.

"Actually no...he threw me out." I said.

"Damn, that sucks man." he said, suddenly he got an idea. "You know something James, when I was filming _Jay & Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?_ I rented a nice apartment in Toronto. I've paid for next month already because I thought I'd be here longer. Why don't you just take it off my hands.

"Really?" I asked, amazed that Kevin would just give me an apartment.

"Yeah, the thing is that it's about $250 a month, so you'll need to get a job." Kevin said.

"That's no problem, I can find something." I told him.

"All right, then I'm heading back to the states, I'll call you when the plane lands." Kevin said as he stood up & shook my hand. "It'll be a pleasure doing business with you James Stark."

 **THINGS ARE LOOKING UP FOR JAMES...OR ARE THEY? RICK STILL HATES HIM & HE NEEDS TO CHOOSE BETWEEN EMMA NELSON & TERRI MCGREGOR. NEXT TIME, JAMES MEETS 1 OF SNAKE'S OLD BANDMATES. REVIEWS & INPUT APPRECIATED.**


	15. Chapter 15

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

I spent the rest of the day moving my stuff into the apartment. Kevin was right, it was a really nice place. The next day, I was racking my brain, trying to think of a job that I could get. As I walked into Media Immersions, Rick looked at me, but didn't say a word. I sat at the computer next to him for the whole hour, it was just very awkward. After class was over, I wondered if Rick would say anything, but he didn't. Snake noticed that something was up & called me over.

"Hey James, you doing ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's just I had a fight with Rick & he kicked me out of his house." I told him.

"I'm sorry, I know what you're going through."

"How?"

"Spike & I had a fight, i'm staying with a friend while we figure things out."

"What did you do?" I asked him.

"It's...kind of personal." Snake said.

"Oh, all right." It really wasn't my place to pry into his personal business.

"So, where are you staying?"

"Kevin Smith got me an apartment in the city, but I need to find a job to pay for it." Snake thought for a moment & then he snapped his fingers.

"A friend of mine is hiring." he said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, do you know where Jeremiah Motors is?"

"Yeah, I've been by it once or twice."

"Well, go there after school. I'll give Joey a call & have him set up an interview. I'll give you a good recommendation."

"That's great." I said as Snake gave me the address to his friends car dealership. After school let out, I headed over. When I got to the dealership, I saw a bald Italian dude in the lot. checking out the cars.

"Excuse me" I said as he turned around. "Are you Joey Jeremiah?"

"Sure am, you must be James Stark." he said as he shook my hand. "Snake said you'd be coming. Let's go to my office." Joey led me into his office. He offered me a can of Coke & we got down to business.

"So, how do you know Snake?" I asked.

"We went to Degrassi together." Joey replied.

"Were you part of The Zit Remedy?"

"Yeah, I played the keyboard."

"Snake & I jammed out to _Everybody Wants Something_ 1 time." I told him, remembering, our impromptu jam session, the day before Whack-Your-Brain.

"Really, man I loved that song. I always thought we'd make it big." Joey said, reminiscing. "Anyway, do you have any experience selling cars?"

"I can sell any car." I told Joey, trying to sell myself. "I know all there is to know about cars."

"Ok, can you start tomorrow?" he asked. I was surprised to say the least.

"You're giving me the job?"

"Yeah, I was going to give you the job. Snake said a lot of good things about you. I just wanted to meet you first, you know, get a feel for you." Joey said as he shook my hand.

"You won't regret this Mr. Jeremiah, I swear to God you won't." I told him.

"I'm sure I won't, but Mr. Jeremiah is my dad, call me Joey."

 **WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE END, WILL JAMES CHOOSE EMMA OVER TERRI, OR WILL HE LOSE HER TO A DEADLY FOE? REVIEWS APPRECIATED**


	16. Chapter 16

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI OR THE DIALOGUE**

After i left Jeremiah Motors, I was pretty excited. I had a job & my own place. I was finally getting my life back together, but there was 1 thing I needed to be complete: Emma. I'd made my decision, I cared about Terri very much, but the truth was that I'd been using her to hide my feelings for Emma. However, she was still with Peter Stone. I needed help. A few days later, I went over to Joey's house. Snake had said that he was crashing there. I went inside & found him on Joey's couch.

"Hey Snake." I said. He turned to look at me.

"Oh, hi James, I didn't see you come in." I sat down next to him.

"You doing ok?"

"Not really." Snake said, sighing. "I went home, I tried to have a nice diner with Spike, but she wouldn't even talk to me." This must've had something to do with their fight. "Joey's girlfriend says that I should try to woo her, but i'm worried that she'll just slam the door in my face." I stood up.

"Come one Snake." I told him.

"Where're we going?" he asked me.

"I'm going to help you, then you're going to help me." We went to my place so I could grab my guitar, then Snake called the salon where Spike worked on the way to a tux rental place. They told him that she was on her break at the mall. Snake got a real snazzy tuxedo & a bouquet of flowers. We went to the mall & I waited until Snake gave me the signal. When Spike came over, Snake came out with the flowers.

"The girls at the salon said you were on break." Snake said.

"Are you selling roses in restaurants? What's with the penguin suit?" Spike asked.

"I was wearing a t-shirt on our wedding day & I wanted to make sure I did this right." Snake said as he got down on 1 knee. "Snake, you are my everything. If you let me come home, this time I will be worthy of you because you deserve everything...You're beautiful." Spike sighed.

"You hurt me."

"I know..."

"No, you don't really know. I loved you since I was 16. You were the 1 guy I thought was good. The 1 guy I was sure I could count on."

"Well, count on me now, cause I love you & I will never give up until you take me back." Snake said. Spike started to walk away when Snake began singing their song. I jumped in on my guitar & we serenaded her right there in the mall. Finally, Spike shut Snake up & she agreed to take him back on the condition that he never kiss anyone else or sing in public again. Then they kissed as everyone clapped. Spike then turned to me U gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Who knew you were such the romantic?" She asked.

"About that...I need your help...It's Emma, I'm in love with her & I don't want to be without her. I was afraid to go after her, but i'm not anymore." I told them. Snake & Spike both hugged me.

"You're a very good boy James. I'd be very happy if you & Emma were together." She said.

 **JAMES HAS DECIDED TO DECLARE HIS LOVE FOR EMMA, BUT WILL HE DECLARE IT IN TIME? WE'RE ALMOST TO THE END. REVIEWS APPRECIATED.**


	17. Chapter 17

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI OR THE DIALOGUE**

Snake & Spike invited me back to their place for dinner. Snake had made his special lasagna & I had to admit, it was pretty delicious. Eventually, Snake told the whole family & Manny that he was taking them all to New York City. Manny was ecstatic when Snake told her that she was going with them.

"I think that this may even be 1 of those moments, i'll get the camera." Emma said. I followed her, hoping that it might be a good time to talk. I waited outside of the washroom for a minute when all of the sudden, I heard Emma blowing chunks. She hadn't look sick before & she didn't have very much lasagna. I didn't want to think that she was doing it on purpose, so I went back to the table. After desert, I said goodbye to Snake & Spike & Manny. After I walked out, Emma came out after me.

"Hey James...it was nice seeing you tonight." she said.

"You too." I replied.

"Thanks for helping Snake get my mom to take him back."

"It was fun, look Emma, do you think that we could hang out sometime, i've been wanting to talk to you." Emma sighed at me.

"I'm with Peter now." she said.

"I said talk, not make out."

"We'll see." she said. Emma went back inside & I faced a lonely walk home...

* * *

The next couple of days passed by in a haze of loneliness. I didn't hear from Emma. Toby was busy getting straight A's. Paige & Alex were inseparable, & neither Terri nor Rick would return my calls. I was going crazy from being so lonely, I was actually relieved when Manny finally approached me.

"James, I need your help." she said. "Peter & I are having an intervention for Emma." That caught me off guard.

"Why, she's fine." I said. Manny shook her head.

"No James, she's not. She has an eating disorder. She's hiding food, she's a raging bitch, we need to stop her." I couldn't believe it. Emma was an amazing person. Why did she need to starve herself. She'd been there for me when my life was in danger & now I had to be there for her.

"I'm in." I told Manny. I went to Emma's place later that day. Peter & Manny were already there & they'd briefed Snake & Spike about Emma's "condition" Apparently, Snake had gotten some feedback from Emma's teachers. We waited until Emma got home. She came into the living room & saw all of us there.

"What's going on?" Emma asked.

"Come sit down here honey." Spike said, motioning her over. "Manny, Peter, & James came here because they're worried about you."

"& it's not just them." Snake added. "Your teachers told me that you're having trouble at school."

"They're lying." Emma said defensively.

"No they're not Emma, we want you to go talk to someone, a therapist about why you're not eating."

"I am eating, there's nothing wrong."

"You're hiding food." Peter said.

"You've got major psycho mood swings." Manny added.

"You're just not you, we're worried." Spike finished. By that time, Emma was in major defense mode.

"& you guys are so perfect." she said. "You take advantage of drunk girls (Peter), you are the drunk girl (Manny), & last time I checked, you were making out with his mother (Snake)." Snake got up.

"Emma, you need to calm down." he said.

"No, I need to get out of here!" Emma shouted as she headed for the door. Manny was there to stop her.

"You can't go Emma please, we need to get you help." she said.

"You did this, you told them, this is all your fault Manny!" Emma raged as she ran downstairs. I ran down after her, followed by everyone else. When I got down, she was throwing Manny's crap all over.

"Emma please stop, we're trying to help you." I told her.

"Screw you James!" She shouted. I grabbed her by her arms & held her.

"NO SCREW YOU, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK RIGHT NOW EMMA, YOU'RE GOING TO LISTEN TO ME." I screamed at her. "I'm sorry Emma. I'm sorry that i've been ignoring you, I was jealous. Emma, I was so jealous. I was pissed at Peter & I was pissed at you, because you wanted Peter & not me. I thought that I was over you, but i'm not strong enough..."

"What is this, some kind of work out?" Emma yelled.

"I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!" I screamed. "Emma, you're my everything. When I was on the roof of Degrassi, ready to blow my brains out, you saved me. You are so important, Emma." I was on the verge of crying at this point. I swear to God, I was. "So you can swear at me & spit on me & slap me & tell me to go to Hell, but I won't leave you. Not now, not ever." I told her. Emma looked into my eyes. "I love you Emma Nelson." Emma broke free of my grasp & kissed me on the lips.

"I love you too James." She said as we held each other.

 **JAMES & EMMA ARE FINALLY TOGETHER, ALL YOU JEMMA FANS, THIS IS FOR YOU, BUT JAMES STILL HAS TO FACE TERRI. CATCHER IS ONLY A FEW CHAPTERS AWAY FROM BEING DONE. REVIEWS APPRECIATED.**


	18. Chapter 18

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

We took Emma to the hospital & she was diagnosed with Anorexia. I went to visit her in the hospital every day after school & work. We would talk a lot, sometimes for hours. She slowly got better, day by day. A month before graduation, Emma was finally ready to go home. When I went to see her, her stuff was already packed.

"So, are you all good now?" I asked. Emma smiled at me.

"It's something I'll have to work on, but I'm well enough to go home." She replied.

"Have you heard from Peter at all?"

"I called him once, he didn't call back." I wrapped her in a hug.

"I'm sorry Emma." I told her.

"It's ok, at least we can be together now." She said as we kissed. The truth was that we weren't free, not yet anyway. There was 1 thing I had to do before I could belong to Emma & she to me.

* * *

A few days after Emma went home, I went over to Terri's place. I knocked on the door & Mr. Mcgregor answered it.

"Hey Mr. Mcgregor, can I talk to Terri." I asked him.

"Sure James." He replied as I went upstairs. When I went in, I saw Terri sitting on her beanbag chair. She got up when she saw me.

"James...you came." She said.

"Yeah...I did." I told her. Terri looked at me & sighed.

"You chose Emma, didn't you?" I nodded as Terri sat down. She obviously wasn't surprised, but it still hurt.

"Look Terri, it's not your fault. It's just, ever since I first met Emma, I was drawn to her. I care about you a lot, but I don't love you like I love Emma. Can we still be friends?" I explained to her. Terri nodded.

"I understand...can you do something for me though?" She asked.

"Sure anything."

"Can I kiss you? I just want to remember what it felt like to love a guy who didn't abuse me." I slowly nodded as Terri leaned in & kissed me on the lips. I stood up.

"See you around Terri." I said as I walked out of her room.

 **JAMES & EMMA ARE FINALLY TOGETHER, TERRI HAS BEEN FRIEND ZONED, ONLY 2 MORE CHAPTERS LEFT, REVIEWS & INPUT APPRECIATED **


	19. Chapter 19

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI OR THE DIALOGUE, EVERYBODY WANTS SOMETHING IS PROPERTY OF DEGRASSI**

2 days after I let Terri down, Emma & I went on our first date. There was some kind of show at Degrassi, celebrating its 50th anniversary. Emma & I went to our seats as the show began. We saw J.T. Yorke & Manny get on stage.

"Hello! Natural Essence presents 50 years of Degrassi. I'm your host: Sir Phillip Degrassi." J.T. Said. He was dressed in some old timey getup.

"& I'm his lovely daughter Charlotte." Manny added in attire that was equally old timey.

"& we'll be taking you on a magical history tour." J.T. Interjected.

"Starting in 1966, we have Darcy Edwards & her love crew." Manny said as Darcy & her back up dancers came out & started doing their routine. I was looking at Emma & it looked like she was having a good time. I watched as Darcy did her routine, she looked sexy, but she didn't seem as pretty when I was sitting next to Emma. It may sound cliche, but it's true. I swear to God, it is. After the show was done, I walked Emma home.

"I had a great time tonight James." Emma said.

"So did I." I replied. She smiled as we kissed deeply. As I held Emma in my arms, I realized that I'd never actually felt so happy in my entire life. In a life that has been filled with tragedy, here was a perfect moment where it was just Emma & I together. The way her lips felt on mine, it was a really beautiful thing.

* * *

A few days after my first date with Emma, my 17th birthday came around. In the past, it hadn't been a celebration. My dad had spent my birthday getting drunk & hitting me. I'd told Emma about this & she felt so bad that she wanted to throw me a party, but I wouldn't let her. I didn't want her to waste her time on me. After school, I got back to my apartment. Emma had asked me to leave the door unlocked so she could leave a gift for me. I went inside & turned on.

"SURPRISE!" I looked & saw Emma, Manny, Snake, Spike, Joey, Toby, J.T., Liberty, Jimmy, Paige, & Alex.

"What's going on?" I asked, even though I already knew.

"I know you didn't want a party, but...I thought you deserved 1 birthday that was free of liquor & violence." Emma said. I smiled at her. I didn't want to admit it, but it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me. As everyone came out, we heard a knock on the door. Snake went to open it & it was Kevin Smith & Jason Mewes.

"Sorry we're late." Kevin said. "This numb-nuts got the time wrong." Jason gave him a look.

"Who's a numb-nuts?" he asked. This got a big laugh out of everyone. Manny took a hold of me & brought me over to the table.

"We've got a chocolate cake with whipped frosting & lots of presents." she said. Everyone sang happy birthday & I blew out my candles. The cake was delicious & I got a lot of cool presents. Manny gave me an autographed picture of herself for "when she became a famous actress." Paige got me real nice watch & Spike knitted me a scarf. When it was time for Joey to give me his gift, he lead me outside. In the parking lot was a 1980 Mercedes-Benz. It had an nice sky blue color & leather seating.

"No way!" I shouted.

"I found this baby cheap at an auto show." Joey said. "Emma said that you used to enjoy taking your old man's Mercedes for a spin. I was ecstatic.

"Damn Joey, you are the best." I said wrapping him in a hug. Emma coughed at me playfully.

"What about the girl who planned all this?" she asked. I went over & kissed her.

"Ok, Joey's the 2nd best." I said as everyone laughed. We went back inside & Snake pulled out his guitar & Joey his keyboard.

"I remember how we jammed out last year, I thought maybe we could have a Zit Remedy reunion." Snake said.

"Sweet." I said as i grabbed my 6-string & we began to play as everyone started dancing.

 _Everybody get ready and get into gear,_  
 _the Degrassi sensation,_  
 _the one and only..._  
 _Zit Remedy's here_  
 _Everybody wants something, they'll never give up._  
 _Everybody wants something, they'll take your money... and never give up._  
 _Everybody face up to the facts as they are,_  
 _Dedication is hard but, you'll be somebody and you will go far._  
 _Everybody wants something, they'll never give up._

 _Everybody wants something, they'll take your money... & never give up._

A few hours later the party broke up & everyone had gone home except for Snake, Spike, & Emma. Emma & I were on the couch, cuddling with each other.

"I know I told you not to throw me a party...but it means a lot." I told her. Emma smiled & kissed me.

"Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to give you my present." Emma said as she got up & brought back a sweater that said: SIMPSON, STARK, & JEREMIAH. THE NEW ZIT REMEDY."

"This is awesome Emma." I said as i put it on over my t shirt.

"Mom & I worked on it together."

"I don't know what to say."

"How bout, i'm gorgeous, i'm perfect, & you'll love me forever."

"You're gorgeous, you're perfect, & i'll love you forever." I said as we kissed. "Actually Emma, there was something I wanted to ask you. I love you more than anything, will you please be my girlfriend, I want to make it official." Emma looked into my eyes.

"Absolutely." she said as we made out on the couch. Snake & Spike were barely able to pull her off me.

 **THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE LAST, IT TOOK A WHILE BUT JAMES & EMMA ARE FINALLY BOYFRIEND & GIRLFRIEND. REVIEWS APPRECIATED.**


	20. Chapter 20

**I DON'T OWN DEGRASSI**

The day after my party, we all went to the graduation ceremony at Degrassi. Lots of familiar faces were leaving like Marco Del Rossi, Jimmy Brooks, & Paige Michalchuk, whereas others like Spinner Mason, didn't quite make the cut. After the ceremony, I got some alone time with Emma.

"So James, what are you going to do while I'm in New York for the 1st week of summer." She asked.

"Actually, I got a call from Kevin, he wants me to go down to L.A. for the summer. _Panther In The Rye_ is going to be on sale in the states & he wants me to do signings & go on talk shows to promote it." I told her.

"The whole summer?" Emma asked in despair.

"it's only 3 months & besides, I think I could use a break from all the Degrassi Drama." I told her as I reache don my jacket pocket & pulled out an envelope.

"What's this?"

"5 tickets to L.A. for you, Snake, Spike, Manny, & Jack. In case you run out of things to do up here." Emma gave me a huge hug.

"I love you so much James." She said.

"I love you too." I said as we kissed deeply.

That is where this next chapter of my life ends. I finally have a family, friends, & an amazing girlfriend in Emma Nelson. Yet, as of this me finishing this book, Rick & I have still not reconciled. If we do, that's great. If we don't, that's life I guess. Look, I'm not gonna lie & say that life is all hot girls & custom cars, because it ain't. Life can be Hell. I've had to put up with a lot of shit in life & life will most likely still be a bitch, but having Emma next to me makes it more bearable. I remember when I was on the rooftop of Degrassi Commumity School, ready to end it all, I didn't feel like I had a reason to go on. Now I see that I do, I have friends, a great boss, an amazing manager, & the perfect girlfriend. I mean, Emma can be a little self righteous sometimes, but her stubbornness is the best thing about her. If she really cares about you, she'll never give up on you & with Emma in my life, I don't feel like a...catcher Without a Cause.

 ** _CATCHER WITHOUT A CAUSE_ IS FINISHED. I'VE DECIDED TO GO THROUGH JAMES STARK'S HIGH SCHOOL CAREER, THE NEXT BOOK WILL BE _REBEL IN THE RYE._ IF I CAN HAVE A MOMENT, I JUST WANT TO THANK MATAHARI 2018, WHEN I SEE YOUR REVIEWS, IT IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY. IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU, I PROBABLY WOULD'VE GIVEN UP ON JAMES DEAN STARK. I EXPECT _REBEL IN THE RYE_ TO BE OUT BY AUGUST 2017. REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED.**


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